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I realize your motivations that you write in the beginning can change. But we are talking about player-driven experiences. I would hope they can change over time, especially since the game is driven by the players and GM. I was responding to: But you mention the two of the three classic...

Then how is it different from any D&D campaign run by a decent or good DM? Even in the adventure paths I have played in, which last a good year, all the things you listed: milestones not dictated, being generally broad, GM inserts some for plot, being able to change, and allowing for buy-in, are...

I am a little more confused now, so sorry if this comes off as ignorant. But it seems to me all you are describing here is a character's backstory and a session zero, which most people running a campaign do. Things such as: Making sure characters are compatible Having a reason to work together...

I agree. To have traits, ideals, connections, and flaws built into a backstory that the PC comes to the table with is excellent. It helps define their motivations and gives rationale to their actions. But predetermining a "personal milestone" when the character hasn't actually interacted with...

My apologies. I meant the casting part of their class would be simple. I think the original bard was very much like a describe - a jack-of-all-trades. I like the idea of some of the more complex classes, like the druid or bard, being the simplest on an arcane level. Almost as if the other...

Both of these seem oddly conflicting with my thoughts on player-driven play. Coming to the game as an orchestrated event that already has the PC's goals established seems to negate some of the fiction, and more importantly, interaction with that fiction, that allows for a character to change...

D'oh. 100% meant "beck and call." Thanks for the edit. Yes. It would. Isn't that the title: Which arcane caster class should be the "simple" one? Or am I missing something. Sorry, but I thought that was what is being asked.

I actually like the idea of the bard as simple. A storyteller with roguish capabilities, that has a few spells at the beacon call.

There is a way around this - don't have any throwaway PCs. ;) (Kind of true for some games, definitely not true for others.)

That's funny. I see the exact opposite advice for the most part. And definitely in the real world, when I talk to other GMs (other than the ones I play with), they decry the build-first technique. For the record: Most of them are paid GMs or under 25 years old.

That's awesome. I am now confused. You do "little or no prep," but your players have "clear ways to complete their objectives." If they have clear ways, then how have you not prepped? And I get what you are saying about other DMs thinking they offer player-driven campaigns, yet it is just the...

I have moved a lot, and I have played in a lot of different groups. Most of those groups cannot do player driven campaigns. And these are good/great players. They are fun, excited, dig different lore, etc. But an open concept or having a dozen threads does nothing for them. In fact, they...

I second Numenera. Also, no one has mentioned Draw Steel yet. While it is getting some attention, it doesn't seem like enough considering how well their Kickstarter did. And as far as covering D&D (even as an April Fool's joke), why not cover it using the Level Up ruleset. Certainly that hasn't...

I really think of feel, and since all rulesets evolve in increments, and then often make larger jumps during edition changes, I think it is hard to say. But as far as feel, it seems when death became rarer and rarer, with rules that specifically prevented it, that seems like a modern take. I...

Have fun! I went several years in a row. It is such a blast.

Lore matters when the story makes it one of the characters. A dungeon isn't a group of pathways underground to be cleared out, explored, or destroyed. It is a character, and each step inside of it reveals more about the character. Then, once players see it as such, lore will matter greatly. The...

Or it can be both. The two are not mutually exclusive. If that was the case, I guess when people play Adventure Paths they aren't really playing in your eyes. Again, that was a hypothetical because people can't seem to answer a question. They have asked for nuance. They have asked for the why...

What are you talking about. I am giving a concession to your inability to answer the question, basically by saying I understand how people think of this question as nuanced. That was a purely hypothetical DM and situation, just like the one right after that - the one where the player bought a...

See the bold. This is my point. It doesn't matter. Neither does the DM reason. I get it, on some meta-level, we feel that there is nuance to be had. The DM has 200 pages of lore and has built the world for twenty years. Does that mean now we suddenly respect the reason, and in turn, allow him to...

The question is still the same. The DM set a list of books to use, and the player wants to use something outside of the books. Of course, if this were real life, they would probably have a regular-ho-hum-no drama conversation about it. But, the question still boils down to: should the DM allow...